The Interschools Diaries by Buzz McKenna

By Buzz McKenna (Haileybury Girls College, VIC)

I love the environment on the slopes. Everyone is there, not only to compete, but also to have a great time with friends.

I love how Interschools allows skiers to showcase their love for the sport, just like the footy or soccer players can. I also love that I can compete in the snowboarding, GS and Skier Cross events, as when I started getting more serious about my mogul skiing, it was just really fun and exciting to race and to take part in something different than normal.

I have participated in the Interschools since I was in Prep in 2008 - it is an event I look forward to every year. Being able to compete in the Interschools I have made so many friends and memories. The event also provides the opportunity to connect with friends from other schools. For me, being a part of the interschools wasn’t only about competing in my own events, it was about turning up to support the Division 5 skier cross competitors or the Division 2 snowboard teams.

I think one of the moments I’ll always remember is the waiting times in between runs for Alpine GS, because it was always so cold and either raining, really windy, or both! Everyone would just huddle together to try and stay warm. When you had to strip down to just your race suit, there was a such a stress to stay warm, bobbing up and down, with someone ready to take your jacket when you went into the gate… it’s always the small things that made interschools so much fun.

Although it’s been heart-wrenching that I won’t be able to compete one last time for my school, there’s still such a big sense of community and I’ll cherish the memories I have from competing. I’ll miss the comradery on the slopes - whether its cheering on someone from your school as they race past you during GS, or the cheers during the nerve-racking moment a kid goes off the big kicker in slopestyle. The event is so highly anticipated throughout the year, especially amongst the students that compete from my school. We all love to ski and compete together, and that, I’ll really miss.